Tad projected broadly from his soulmancy space, "Gweleth, do you have a few moments? I would like to see if we can get these Carnival wards working again. Could you show me how to invest mana into them? It would really help secure the valley and island."

Gweleths voice replied in his soulmancy space. "Thaddius, you will have to learn to pray for communion with your diety. This might work near my place of power, but it won't work when you leave. I will certainly try if you will bring it to me. I'm near the tree and the water. "

Tad reached down and picked up one of the long wards. They were heavy. Much heavier than the wood they appeared to be. The ward was pointed at one end and had a Carnival pennant etched at the other that was rounded. This was the heaviest wood he had ever lifted.

He put it over his shoulder and went looking for Gweleth. Tad went left out the entrance. He found her standing in front of the two magical portal pillars from Samphire's wagon. The pillars were positioned along the edge of the balustrade railing. These railing kept people from falling into the lake below. There was no railing behind the portal, and he could look straight throughout onto the lake. The portal was several feet taller and a foot wider than he remembered them being in Samphire's wagon.

Gweleth stood there as the sun poked through the dense foliage of the giant fey tree above. Her head was wreathed in branches that swayed slightly to wind Tad could not feel. She was beautiful and clearly made of wood. Her skin looked like fine smooth birch bark. She had a gown made from a fine material that ended in long broad leaf edges. Tad thought it might be petals from the Tree Blossoms. It fit her well and hung down near to the floor. Tad could not see her feet under it. She looked at Tad. Her eyes scanned him from bottom to top, then back to his feet.

She hummed while looking at him, "I am glad you have come, Thaddius. I will need your help for a few minutes after we are done with the ward. " she tutted, "We really need to do something about those clothes. I will think of something appropriate for my new champion. I hope you do change before the party, though. I will not be there long, but it is not good to represent your goddess in shabby clothes. But I will forgive you this one time. " She smiled at him and winked.

Tad smiled back, "You know I had this nice suit, but I seem to have misplaced it. " He set down the ward on the stonework of the path.

Gweleth took a deep breath. She was breathing which gave her a more normal appearance to Tad. He wasn't sure why something so simple would set him at ease. She reached down and touched the ward. It glowed, then stopped. Tad could see the etchings had a slight magical radiance, and he could see the energia in the ward.

"This will only last a few days. It is not full, and I do not have the power to fill it completely and do the task at hand. They are more powerful than you probably know. Niucrealath and I discussed them before we decided on this gateway. " said Gweleth turning back to the portal.

Tad looked at the portal pillars she was inspecting. One now had the image of a moon with the lake below it. The other had the sun with the Fey tree as part of its smooth surface. Tad couldn't see a seam. The images appeared part of each pillar.

"Ummm.. yea, about that, you know I don't think Samphire is going to be too happy you bound to his portal, " said Tad. He could see vividly in his mind when he was young, and Samphire had scolded him for looking in his trailer at the active portal.

"We did not bind to them. They bound to us. We did choose them, though. Samphire will understand, I'm sure. This is why I need your help. " she waved her hand, and Tad saw a scene of catastrophe. There was a small city in the middle of a plain of grass and scrub bushes. Small farms dotted the area around it. Tad could see that the city was on fire. Smoke poured from it into a giant cloud that blew across the savanna.

"I'm looking for followers, and I've found some. But I'll need you to assist me in getting them through the gate. " The scene shifted to the streets of the city. Men with dog-faces in leather armor, carrying spears and swords commanding packs of hyenna's that were chewing on several corpses. Tad could hear screams of pain, and blood was everywhere. The dog-faced creatures, he had seen them before. They were the same type of creature he had fought within the Arena of the demon's fortress! What are they doing here? Those were children in that street! He felt rage at the scene. He took a deep breath. He could smell the smoke.

Tad was trying to keep calm as anger fought for control, "Can I go through here? "

"Not yet. I believe there is no way to save those in the city and no time to ask them if they will follow me. I need followers, Tad. I can only open the gate to that plane for a very short period of time. I need you to hold them off and get the people."

"The scene shifted again to a group of twelve people, some children, two men, and their families. Tad could see them running into a cave as several dozen of the dogged-headed men, and their hyenas followed a short distance behind.

"Those are beastkin Tad. Because Nico is here, I am allowed to pick from their races, as well as elves, dwarfs, and humans. These people are about to be killed or captured. I feel they will follow me if I can save them. But I must prove my worth and power first. It is very far, Tad, and I do not have much mana right now. It will gather, but I also must use it quickly if I am to survive. Having few followers puts me at great risk. " Gweleth made a gesture towards the portal.

"Prepare yourself. I will speak to them now. When the portal opens, you will go in and protect the portal entrance while they cross over. " said Gweleth.

"Can I bring Nico and Lamruil?" asked Tad. He was exhausted, and this was going to be challenging with all those creatures.

Gweleth smiled and reached out, placing one finger to his forehead. He felt invigorated. All the sleepiness cleared up immediately.

"That will last for several hours, Thaddius. After which you will sleep for several more hours than normal. This portal is not like those of established locations. For every person and object traveling through it, there is a cost. The pillars will pull in mana over time. Later I will not need to feed it once its reserves are filled. Right now, it has little mana. I'll be holding the portal open, and I am unsure if I can take more people there and back. One moment now, Be ready. " said Gweleth as she disappeared.

Tad waited then heard many voices in the cave and a roar emanating from the entrance. Tad pulled Galadinidú from its loop. He held it as his bracer gauntlet formed across his wrist and hand. He stood there, turning his head back and forth, cracking his neck, rotating his shoulders.

The scene changed. Tad was viewing from the back of the cave. In front of him were two massive lions looking outward towards the brightly lit entrance. Hyenas and dog-faced men were charging into the opening.

"Now, my champion, " said Gweleth. Tad leaped through the portal, already pushing energia into his first smite. The male lions with manes had already pounced toward the hyenas in the lead, swiping with massive clawed paws. Ripping through the lead beasts. The dog-face men were right behind, though. A spear was sticking out of the first lion's chest and shoulder. Tad came into the cave running. He didn't pause to look at the half-transformed pride as it shifted to its beast forms. A lioness stood in front of the smaller cubs.

"The portal is open!" he shouted as he parried a spear thrust at him. He saw the shaft explode as he brought his first sweep of Galadinidú around, bisecting the lead soldiers. The gore cloud from his overpowered smite covered him in blood as he continued forward. He brought up shields to parry as his firey curved shield-blade circled him as he brought the staff around. Over and over, driving the soldiers back. Body parts flew, and hyenas screamed in pain.

The fury of a ragged blood-soaked human wielding firey death caused many soldiers behind the first wave to start barking and backpedaling to avoid the death that was Galadinidú as the blade of energia at the end sliced through spear and leather armor, over and over.

Tad could make out their guttural language now as his charm heated upon his wrist. He heard the words demon several times, and the word flee. The dog-faced creatures started to turn and run with no thought of their comrades or animals already engaged in the melee.

Gweleth spoke, "You must hurry, Thaddius. More are arriving, and I can not hold the gate for much longer. "

Tad stopped then. There was blood dripping down his hair and clothes. He was covered in it. He turned to the lion on the floor that was now in the form of a naked man. There was a spear in his upper chest. The other lion had already fled into the portal. Tad cast a quick heal, then bent over and heaved the man, with the spear sticking out of him over his back, and followed the others through the portal.

Tad stood there, with Gweleth on the other side of a small pride of lions while they all turned to him. The cubs backed up in fear at the bloody sight of Tad dripping on the stones, holding one of them over his shoulder.

Tad smiled and said loudly, "Welcome to the Valley of Statues. "

He put the man down as best he could on the ground. The other lion male transformed back to a man and helped him. The spear was still sticking out of the man Tad had carried. Tad took a deep breath. Then he started to cast healing over and over through Galadinidú into the bleeding man on the stone path.

On his third cast, Tad spoke, "Pull the spear out quickly."

The naked man standing next to him yanked the spear out hard and threw it to the ground. Tad continued to cast heals upon the man. It didn't' seem to be taking hold the way it should. Something was blocking his healing spell.

Gweleth spoke, "Thaddius, it is silver. Your spells will not fix this," then she placed her hand upon the wound as blood pumped over her fingers from the man's chest. She closed her eyes, and the blood stopped.

She removed her hand. In it was a sliver of silver in the shape of the spearhead. It was a barb left by the spear tip that had caused the hole.

"Your healing will work now, " said Gweleth as she dropped the fragment of silver and the blood disappeared from her skin.

Tad cast three more times till the wound was gone. The man didn't' wake, but he was breathing easier now, and his skin had lost the pale white of imminent death.

Gweleth smiled. She radiated a glow standing in front of this crowd of beastkin.

"Thaddius, you should go clean up. I think you are scaring the children," she said.

Tad looked down. Raggedy clothes and blood were covering him. He bowed to Gweleth and walked off towards the bridge. He was going to take a bath. He had seen a nice spot on the bridge that needed someone to jump off to test it, then he smiled. Yes, now that his warding post is working, he definitely needs to make sure this broken railing area is safe for the kids. He smiled as he dropped his belt and staff in a pile then jumped.

***